This Week In Island History

The news of 10 and 15 years ago is from the Jamestown Press. The news of 100 years ago came from the collection of the Newport Historical Society.

100 years ago

From the Newport Journal, Nov. 28, 1913

Mr. Joseph Snyder of Boston was in town Friday. Mr. Snyder is from of the Oil Well Company and visited the place where they are drilling for oil near Conanicut Park.

There was a good number of fishing parties on the rocks at Beavertail Sunday. Good catches were made, considering the lateness of the season, but the fish are showing signs of striking off for deeper water.

A Quaker tea party and kerchief sale was held at Maplewood Saturday afternoon, the proceeds to go towards district nursing work in Jamestown and vicinity.

75 years ago

From the Newport Daily News, Nov. 29, 1938

Plans went forward today for the actual start of construction of the Jamestown Bridge across the west passage. Voters, at a special Financial Town Meeting Monday, approved the proposed auxiliary ferry service from Eldred Avenue, Jamestown, to somewhere in the vicinity of Coddington Point. The vote was 340 in favor as against 40 opposed.

From the Newport Daily News, September 30, 1938

In the space of three and a half hours this morning, the new electric cable was laid between this city and Jamestown to replace that destroyed in the hurricane on Sept. 21. The time consumed was much shorter than had been estimated and was made possible by a combination of a smooth sea, moderate winds, and two tugs working with a barge on which the 4,600-foot cable was brought here from Passaic, N.J.

Milton H. Prince, head of the Bureau of Mosquito Control, has given notice that the project has been approved and funds for the project are available in Providence.

50 years ago

From the Newport Daily News, Nov. 25, 1963

Jamestown joined the rest of the nation today in mourning for President Kennedy. Memorial services were held in churches, and a memorial assembly was held in Jamestown School. The post office and town buildings closed, business establishments either closed or suspended operations for a few hours, and civic and social events were canceled or postponed.

From the Newport Daily News,

Nov. 26, 1963

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge was suggested today as a name for the proposed Newport Bay Bridge.

25 years ago

From the Newport Daily News,

Nov. 29, 1988

Two members of the Town Council and the town administrator will represent Jamestown on a committee seeking to solve issues holding up construction of the cross-island bridge connector.

A state official said Tuesday night that the proposed Jamestown harbor ordinance could close Dutch Island harbor to shellfishing. The ordinance allows up to 200 moorings in the harbor. But the tone and volume of criticism was a far cry from two previous attempts to pass an ordinance. In 1984 more than 100 people crowded into the Jamestown School band room to object to that proposal. The Waterfront Authority withdrew the plan and worked on it for three years. In November 1987, the authority brought it back to a public hearing. The opposition forced CRMC to adjourn the hearing after less than an hour. About 40 people showed up for Tuesday’s hearing.

15 years ago

From the Jamestown Press,

Nov. 25, 1998

A public hearing on the town’s proposed zoning ordinance amendment to split open-space properties into two categories, rezoning certain residential properties to open space in the process, drew a lively crowd of over 100 on Monday evening. The hearing was continued until Feb. 1, 1999.

The town may exercise its right to buy five properties from the state that were condemned when Route 138 was turned into a fourlane throughway and turn them into affordable housing.

10 years ago

From the Jamestown Press,

Nov. 26, 2003

Town councilors struggled Monday over the logistics of its liaisons organizing themselves into an official committee without the council’s clear authorization to do so. At issue was the structure created by committee liaisons who meet with Vollmer and Associates, the architects for the new highway barn to be built at the sewage treatment plant property at Taylor Point.

Even though the town Buildings & Facilities Committee is currently focusing on how to locate a new highway barn, it is also working on where to locate a new town hall.